According to a PentaxForums user, Pentax would be preparing a “light” version of the Pentax K-7 to be presented later this year. Its name? Pentax K-5.

The user appears to have either a good aptitude to forecast or reliable information sources. So, KR tends to give him some good confidence level.

Finally, Sony told us some about the future of the Alpha line of D-SLR cameras. Unfortunately, it does not mean that we will see new cameras soon. The discontinued Alpha 700 will receive a replacement (who is surprised, really?) and it will come with a wide-angle lens Zeiss Distagon T* 24 mm f/2 ZA SSM and a big 500 mm f/4 G. And notice the prominent HD marking on the top of the mock-ups: HD video is coming now.

There also will be a new ultra-compact camera with interchangeable lenses. The presented mock-ups are quite small indeed:

We are waiting impatiently for the launch of new SLR photo cameras from Sony, but here is the weirdest rumour seen in China about this.

Improbable : Sony Alpha 707 & Sony Alpha 900SH

A Sony Alpha 707 with HD video capture and ISO 12.800 sensitivity and a Sony Alpha 900SH with HD video.

Seriously! I can’t believe it for a moment… It’s so strange that I will not even create the Sony Alpha 7007 and Sony Alpha 900SH categories for the YLovePhoto menus.

Thanks to Mash for the link to PR. These guys are ready for any kind of rumour…

According to NR, the announcements of new Nikon for the PMA will be very limited: “several large aperture prime lenses and light compact zoom lens this year”.

The official PMA press conferences will happen in the coming hours, but this probably means “no SLR“.

Updated on 9-Feb: As a matter of fact, the Nikon press conference only presents the new AF-S NIKKOR 24mm f/1.4G ED & AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR (source: DPReview).

The PMA in Las Vegas is now arriving fast. After a long time of little rumors, here comes the moment for big rumors, but not the actual revelations yet.

• Nikon has been telling the world that they intended to have a great year 2010. It seems that they will bring a new DSLR (it could be the Nikon D700x, Nikon D700s, or Nikon D800 according to the rumor mill). It would be confirmed according to the banner visible on LetsGoDigital. But this is apparently a fake built from press material from the older Nikon D3 (via NR).
• Yesterday’s press conference did not bring a single SLR though (Coolpix S8000, Coolpix S6000, Coolpix S4000, Coolpix S3000, Coolpix P100, Coolpix L110, Coolpix L22, Coolpix L21, nothing less!)
• Plenty of people expect to see the Canon EOS 60D arriving now, but it’s still uncertain. NL/DPR predicts a set of features: CMOS 18MPs, 6.3fps, HD 24 and 36fps, Digic IV.
• According to CR, Canon is preparing a new Rebel/EOS camera whose name should be Rebel T2i (the European name could be 550D or EOS 600D), with video, fixed LCD of improved resolution.
• At last, Canon would present the very pro Canon EOS 1Ds Mk IV
• Samsung should extend its new NX line, possibly with some lenses (waiting a little more for a new NX camera body).
• Olympus and Fuji should bring only P&S cameras.
• The Sony rumour line is totally silent, which could be indicator that either they are efficient at keeping a lid on the new Alpha 750 or there is nothing in preparation.

So, let’s wait a little more.

Some of you may be interesting in giving us some information leaks. It may seem that your privacy may be difficult to be kept in the process, but there are a few ways to protect it.

I can give you some information and some advice.

• I would not divulge the sources of my information if you merely ask me to keep it quiet.
• Use the contact form providing a wrong address (please, make it clear in the text).
• If you feel that this is not enough (or if the information you are providing would be really asking for additional protection), you can send email to Yves2006@YLovePhoto.com (just replace 2006 with this year, 2009 or 2010, to make it actual), without leaving traces by using one of the following services:
  • SendAnonymousEmail.net
  • CyberAtlantis
  • AnonymousSpeech
  • Anonymouse
• You can also send us paper mail. It may be very ‘old economy‘-like, but it’s quite safe to understand that I will not keep the document for more than a few hours. And it won’t allow to track you…
• You can also install a system enabling its users to communicate anonymously on the Internet, like TOR which will bring an additional level of security and anonymity, but at the price of a much higher complexity.

Feel free to use or adapt these advices. For my part, I will do my best to ensure that our exchanges will do you no harm.

All that being said, remember that I always prefer a well-known source (if not 100% identified) and I may chose not to publish some leaks when I do not feel sufficiently at ease with its origin and/or credibility.

A Chinese blog just announced a product that nobody really knew up to now: The Sony Alpha 450. But apart from the cover pages, there is not much to grab.

Sony A450?

Maybe an attempt to advertise the blog (and it works).

Via Photo Rumours.

Samsung NX-10

It seems true, indeed. Just see the number of posts about it on K-Rumors. If I wanted to sum it up, I would say the following.

Since months already, it is clear that Samsung and Pentax are no longer living a love affair. The Korean company parted and now thinks a lot about being independent and thinks it is able to live happily ever after -at least when it comes about entry-level SLR photo cameras which still are the beating heart of this industry.

Leaks abounded in the recent weeks to confirm the arrival of such a camera at Samsung and many people think that it will be named Samsung NX-10 as shown on a leaked technical declaration to an official Korean legal body. The features are not detailed but it is now possible to list a lot of them without great risk of error:

• The NX-10 is a Single Lens Reflex (maybe not reflex) camera with interchangeable lenses
• Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) with 100% coverage (1x magnification): 1080p/260Hz (920,000 pixels)
• 14.6 MP APS-C photo sensor with image stabilization
• Sensitivity: ISO 100-3200 (ext. ISO 50-6400)
• Shutter: 30s-1/6000s, in 4.5 fps in burst mode
• 7 fps bursts (30 consecutive pictures) made without lifting the mirror
• Video capture: Full HD 1080p/30i/s with stereo sound
• Autofocus: 16 areas, face detection and movement tracking (considerably more powerful than the entry-level competition)
• AMOLED-type LCD screen for a better readability
• Built-in flash 12GN at ISO 100
• Connectivity: HDMI, USB 2.0, Video/Audio out
• Wireless transmission: BlueTooth, WiFi
• SD/SDHC memory cards
• Body: At least, partly weather-sealed
• Weight: 369g

Samsung would take the same opportunity to finally present lenses of its own design.

And the announcement would be ready either tomorrow or on the 10th of January!

Sources: K-Rumors, yonhapnews.co.kr, etc.

When we told you that it was going to happen! Here is LetsGoDigital finding a leaked shadow of a future SLR photo camera from Sony, the Sony Alpha 750 which will most certainly will be the successor to the Sony Alpha 700 awaited for the beginning of next year.

Sony Alpha 750

But we will have to wait a little more to know its characteristics and features. We can merely speculate that Sony will push the resolution up and the price down.

There are a series of informations or rumors rolling in about a possible double announcement in October. Both Canon and Nikon would be readying themselves for major announcements targeting the highest end of the market. It would be a Canon EOS 1D Mark IV and a Nikon D3s (or D3x).

But this is still to be confirmed.

Sources: Shots.fr, Nikon Rumors.

Update: The D3s is now confirmed for October 15th, by another source (via RP).

Since about two months, the web is ringing with a rumor about a possible new high-end pro Canon SLR camera soon to be disclosed: Canon EOS 1D Mark IV. Let’s summarize what we have and let’s evaluate the probability of each of the possible features.

• Launch date: Two possibilities, either September 29th, 2009 (Canon intends to make a spectacular presentation and some think that this could well be the upcoming Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, but it could also be a product from another Canon branch, like printers), or beginning of 2010, probably in March, just after the 2010 Winter Olympics which would be used as a pro test platform (I doubt it could be as precise as that right now, but the event sequence is credible and quite in line with Canon habits).
• Full Frame sensor: This is nearly certain, pros would not accept something else now, but it would call for a dual DIGIC V in order to sustain high-speed continuous shooting (I heard 10 frames/s).
• 100% viewfinder: Compulsory.
• 20-zone AF system (and many more non-selectable AF assist sensors).
• 3″ LCD VGA display (I heard OLED technology display, but the interest would still be very marginal).
• Compatibility with CompactFlash & SD memory cards (normal today)
• 1080p video (24i/s, 25i/s, 30i/s)

Obviously, we will have to wait a little more to know. But, we also have to remember that this will be a camera for a high-flying class of pro (or rich) photographers.

Canon Press Event September 29, 2009 : “biggest and most important launches in history“. From CR forum

Photo-Rumors reveals what could well be the Sony roadmap for the year 2010. You were expecting a pause, you will be disappointed. Competition will still be intense:

• 7-10 January 2010 (CES, Las Vegas) : announcement of Sony A950, 32 MP FF, still no video, high ISO).
• January-April : tele-lens 600mm.
• 10-15 April (NAB, Las Vegas) : Sony A1000, hybrid SLR photo+video.
• A Sony A150 at bottom price (no AF motor).
• 8-10 September 2010 (Fotokina) : Sony A820, small body 32 MP SLR, SD cards, video, in-camera flash, low-cost viewfinder.

but AmateurPhotographer goes as far as asserting that Sony is going to develop a new intermediate range of cameras with 4/3 sensors and an electronic viewfinder (EVF).

Did you spot what is missing? Do you really believe that the Sony Alpha 700, which is rumored to be leaving the warehouses and ready for a replacement, will be waiting all 2010 letting Full Frames take all the light from the spot lights? Would you really believe that the new AF sub-system recently presented here will be left with no application. I’ve been told that this roadmap is essentially “too short”.

To make it simpler than it really may be, you can expect that the next Sony Alpha 950 (probable name of the successor to the Sony Alpha 900, improved in the beginning of 2010) will have no less than 32 mega-pixels.

Even for a Full Frame sensor, this is a lot of pixels. But this is what can be obtained from using the newest photo sensor that Sony just revealed: 34.8 MP for the Super HAD CCD II.

(more…)

According to Photo-rumors, Pentax is going to announce tomorrow a new SLR photo camera named Pentax K-X. Its most prominent features are going to be:

• 12.4 MP CMOS APS-C sensor (Aspect Ratio 3:2)
• Sensitivity: ISO 100-6400 (exp. 12800 ISO)
• Shutter speed: 30s – 1/6000s, Flash Sync at 1/180s
• Live View mode with options: Contrast Detection AF with face recognition option
• Movie/Video capture with Mono-Audio recording (with built-in microphone),
• Supported video modes: 1280 x 720 Pixels (16:9 Standard High Definition), 640 x 416 (3:1.95), all modes at 24 frames per second
• Rear LCD screen: 2.7″ LCD, 230,000 colour dots
• Metering System: 16-segment
• AF System: SAFOX VIII AF System (11-Point, 9 Crossed)
• Focusing modes: AF-S, AF-C, AF-auto, MF; Via dedicated focusing mode selector level
• Dedicated AF button
• Built-in Flash: Auto-Manual pop-up, GN12 @ ISO 100
• Shake Reduction: in-body, by sensor displacement
• HDR (High Dynamic Range) mode (One composite image from 3 exposure-bracketed images)
• IR Remote Control, with front receiver
• Lenses: Pentax KAF2 compatible (K-mount, support AF KAF and SDM KAF2/KAF3 lenses)
• Viewfinder: Glass pentamirror, with 96% image coverage, 0.85x magnification
• Battery: compatible with AA batteries and AA-type recarcheable NiMH and alcaline batteries
• Storage Media: SD and SDHC cards
• Dimensions: 130.5(W) x 96.5(H) x 72.5(D) mm (5.1 x 3.8 x 2.9 inches)
• Weight: 516g (18.2 oz.), Body Only (without battery and SD card)

Pentax K-X

This makes it a quite nice little buddy. It seems that Pentax is aiming at a low cost (e.g. plastics rather than magnesium alloy, only 2.7″ LCD), but the photo features are going to be real fine: fast shutter, top sensitivity (up to 12800 ISO), top-of-the-line AF system.

The Pentax K-X camera should appeal to those who are not ready to compromise on the photo quality but have a tight budget. In these back-to-school times of recession-frozen salaries, it should be stealing a lot of attention.

We had no difficult in imagining that the predicted disappearance of the Sony Alpha 700 would lead Sony to offer a true replacement (somewhere between the Sony Alpha 500/550 and the Full Frame cameras like the Alpha 850). But this is an informant of Photo-Rumors who presents what a new auto-focus (AF) system would look like as it is prepared by Sony.

Let’s admit that it will shake things up (if it is confirmed, as for all rumors):

• 9 cross-shaped zones,
• One central double cross, sensitive up to f/2.8
• All the zones sensitive up to f/4 (much better than the usual f/5.6)

Christian Fletcher is a landscape photographer who has grown very attached to his Full Frame Canon equipment (read: Canon EOS 5D MkII). Interestingly, he seems informed of upcoming pro photo camera(s) which will be sufficiently more attractive to push him into Nikon’s arms.

Hot Nikon (Full Frame) news

What will be this super-Nikon camera?

Origin: NR.

We already knew a lot about it, but Engadget sums it up quite well. All we already know for sure about this new SLR camera that Canon is about to disclose.

Canon EOS 7D

Features

• 18 MP sensor
• Dual DIGIC 4 processor
• Continuous shooting: 8 frames/s
• Sensitivity: 100 – 6400 ISO (ext. 12800 ISO)
• 3″ LCD screen with 920,000 pixels
• Viewfinder: 100% coverage
• Horizontal level
• HD video capture

Photos of the Canon EOS 7D

In the end, we only needed to get a clear and full picture of the Canon EOS 7D. This is now doe thanks to a Chinese forum.

Canon EOS 7D